Graduate Application Requirements and Procedures

You should apply for admission as an international student if you are not a United States citizen or a Permanent Resident of the U.S. This includes prospective students with pending U.S. Permanent Resident applications. If you are a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. but have a foreign transcript, please apply directly through the Ball State Graduate School.

*Please note that International Students who will be studying in the U.S. on an F-1 (student) visa are not eligible to study in blended delivery programs.*

Graduate applications go through three levels of review: they are first reviewed by the International Admissions office. If minimum requirements are met, the application is forwarded to the Graduate School for review. If the application meets all Graduate School requirements, it will be forwarded to the academic department for your program for a final admission decision.

At Ball State, we have two tiers of admission criteria for international students who wish to pursue a graduate degree:

minimum standards for the International Admissions and the Graduate School

criteria specific to the degree program set by the academic department

Please note: Meeting the minimum requirements for International Admissions does not guarantee admission into your degree program.

Dates and Deadlines - International Admissions must receive all of your application materials by these dates for consideration for a specific term

Fall Term - application materials due by June 19th

Spring Term - application materials due by November 17th

Summer Term - application materials due by February 16th

I-20 Deadline: The deadline for our office to issue I-20 documents is 30 days prior to the orientation start date each semester.

Make sure to review all the steps below to apply, which depends on what type of student you are: traditional graduate, exchange, or online.

Please read each description carefully to ensure you apply correctly and have the best chances of being admitted to Ball State.

You should apply as an international graduate student if:

You have completed or will complete your undergraduate degree before the semester you apply for starts.

You wish to earn a graduate degree (master's, doctoral, specialist, or certificate).

Some doctoral programs do not require a Master's degree. Refer to this list for further information.

You must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a U.S. 4.0 scale (some programs require higher GPAs).

You must pay a nonrefundable application fee of $60.

You must submit documentation regarding all prior academic history of higher education.

If you have earned a degree from a non-US institution, you must select one of the following evaluation agencies to get your transcripts and degree(s) evaluated: (this includes any earned certificates, diplomas, or degrees)

Choose Ball State University as a recipient so we can get an electronic copy of your report

If you have studied at a non-US institution, from which you have not earned a degree, you must submit a scanned copy of the official transcript to Ball State University's International Admissions office with an official translation.

If you have studied at an institution in the US, an official transcript must be sent directly from the institution to Ball State University's International Admissions office.

Ball State University requires all international graduate applicants to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting a TOEFL, Pearson's PTE, or IELTS score unless eligible for a waiver. A scanned copy of the score report can be emailed to INTADMIT@bsu.edu.

Required Scores for English Proficiency

TOEFL 79

IELTS 6.5 bands

Pearson's PTE 53

If your TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores are below the minimum requirements, we will automatically consider you for conditional admission if your program allows. Not all Ball State graduate programs allow conditional admission for students who need to improve their English-language skills. Programs that do not allow conditional admission require one of the following:

Attention: In addition to minimum requirements for International Admissions, departments may have their own admission requirements, such as a GRE, GMAT or require a separate application. Departments may also require additional materials, e.g. a statement of purpose or recommendation letters, to be submitted directly to the department. Find instructions from your department of interest’s admission requirements.

After Step 2

Please check in directly with the academic department for your program regarding any outstanding department requirements.

Graduate applications go through three levels of review: they are first reviewed by the International Admissions office. If all requirements are met, the application is forwarded on to the Graduate School for review. If the application meets all Graduate School requirements, it will be forwarded to the academic department for your program for a final admission decision.

Once your application is complete and a final decision has been made, you will receive an email confirming your admission or denial to Ball State.

Activate your account. Once you have created your account, you will receive a notification in your email that prompts you to activate your account. In order to use this service, you will need complete activation.

Step 4.

Create the shipping label. After activating your account:

Select "Send documents to your University"

Select "Indiana" from the map of the United States

Select "Ball State University"

Select "International Admissions"

Enter in your (sender) information and continue.

Select "Ship/Quote" and choose your carrier.

Select your payment method. Pay close attention to the information submitted. Any errors or incorrect information will result in a delay in the mailing of your documents

Step 5.

Receive your confirmation email from eShip Global. This email will contain all the information relating to your shipment. This confirmation email will be used to track your documents (within 24-48 hours after the package has been sent).

You must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a U.S. 4.0 scale (some programs require higher GPAs and doctoral programs require a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2).

If you have earned a degree from a non-US institution, you must select one of the following evaluation agencies to get your transcripts and degree(s) evaluated: (please note that you are required to have all transcripts, degrees, and/or diplomas evaluated from all institutions where you have studied in the past)

Choose Ball State University so we can get an electronic copy of your report

Ball State University requires all international graduate applicants to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting a TOEFL, Pearson's PTE, or IELTS score unless eligible for a waiver. A scanned copy of the score report can be emailed to INTADMIT@bsu.edu.

Required Scores for English Proficiency

TOEFL 79

IELTS 6.5 bands

Pearson's PTE 53

If your TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores are below the minimum requirements, we will automatically consider you for conditional admission if your program allows. Not all Ball State graduate programs allow conditional admission for students who need to improve their English-language skills. Programs that do not allow conditional admission require one of the following:

Attention: In addition to minimum requirements for International Admissions, departments may have their own admission requirements such as a GRE, GMAT or require a separate application. Departments may also require additional materials (e.g. a statement of purpose or recommendation letters) to be submitted directly to the department. Find instructions from your department of interest's admission requirements.

After Step 2

Please check in directly with the academic department for your program regarding any outstanding department requirements.

Graduate applications go through three levels of review: they are first reviewed by the International Admissions office. If all requirements are met, the application is forwarded on to the Graduate School for review. If the application meets all Graduate School requirements, it will be forwarded to the academic department for your program for a final admission decision.

Once your application is complete and a final admission decision has been made, you will receive an email confirming your admission or denial to Ball State.

Passport Photocopy — You must provide a copy of the main passport page for you and any dependents (including your spouse) you plan to bring with you to Ball State.

Financial Documentation — You must document your ability to pay for your living expenses and university fees through one of the following:

personal funding

private sponsorship (family and friends)

Ball State sponsorship

Financial documents are valid for only six months from the date of issue. Applicants are allowed to have a maximum of three sponsors for their education.

Note: If your exchange consortium (for example, ISEP) is sponsoring your studies, then we do not require financial documentation.

Third party release form – You will receive this document as an email attachment. Please fill it out and include any advisors, such as your home institution coordinators, whom you might wish us to release information to concerning your application.

Ball State cannot create visa-enabling documents for international students (I-20 or DS-2019) until we have received these items.